Sellers biggest ebay grumbles (Things they should fix)

MarilynMonroe_2

I sold a big bundle of books and was unable to put the proper postage charge on the listing - what's that all about?
Luckily my buyer read the listing and knew what postage would be really.

charlies_mum

MarilynMonroe wrote: »

I sold a big bundle of books and was unable to put the proper postage charge on the listing - what's that all about?
Luckily my buyer read the listing and knew what postage would be really.

Certain categories have a capped postage cost and books is one of them. Your buyer could have insisted that you sent them at the capped rate, and reported you as a non-performing seller if you had refused. They could also have left a negative and low stars.

soolin

MarilynMonroe wrote: »

I sold a big bundle of books and was unable to put the proper postage charge on the listing - what's that all about?
Luckily my buyer read the listing and knew what postage would be really.

Oh dear, you really do need to read the terms and conditions.

You say that luckily buyer read your auction- however your statement was not enforceable and the buyer needed to only pay the capped amount.

I woudl watch your stars very carefully!

Incidentally if this was a bundle you could have legitimately sold them in the wholesale and lot category and not had capped postage.

Crowqueen

I think you were the lucky one - I would not have bid, but I might have reported your auction for fee avoidance.

The rules are there for a reason. As people have said, a bit of research might have told you there was another option on this occasion. But why should you be the one to be exempt? If eBay have a policy on a listing, then it's a rule, and you can no more break that rule without consequences than you can jump a red light or go 40 mph in a 30 mph zone.

We're all in the same boat when it comes to postage caps.

MarilynMonroe_2

Some things never change.

charlies_mum

MarilynMonroe wrote: »

Some things never change.

???

We are trying to help. I assumed you weren't aware of the risk you were taking.

soolin

MarilynMonroe wrote: »

Some things never change.

Things do change, that's why you need to keep up to date with ebay and paypal rules. It isn't always easy to keep an account in good standing nowadays, and frankly doing things that will almost certainly ensure low stars or poor feedback is a very quick way of seeing your account restricted.

jimsmillions

soolin wrote: »

Things do change, that's why you need to keep up to date with ebay and paypal rules. It isn't always easy to keep an account in good standing nowadays, and frankly doing things that will almost certainly ensure low stars or poor feedback is a very quick way of seeing your account restricted.

Is this not one of the main problems with Ebay though? Its still open to private sellers yet still touts its self as a simple auction site than anyone can use when in fact its got more rules and regulations than the European union :rotfl:If most private sellers were aware of the in's and out's of Ebay they simply wouldent bother. I get questions all the time at work as people know i use and once was a business registered on Ebay. People say to me "Paypal withheld my money, can they really do that?" and other such simple questions.

From Ebays selling guide

If you're looking for a little help selling something on eBay, you'll find the guide below useful. You can also download and print out our handy Seller's Checklist*.

1. Get Ready to Sell
   
   • Research similar items
     Search or browse through similar items and completed listings on eBay to see how other sellers describe similar items and what categories they typically list similar items in.
   • Take a digital photo of your item - make sure it is clear, and upload extra pictures if necessary.
   • Calculate postage and packaging costs (UK users | IE users) - Buyers want to know up-front the total cost of what they're buying, and you don't want to end up out of pocket.
   
   
2. Sell, sell, sell!
   You're now ready to list your item.
   
   

Wow just those few simple things then sell sell sell. Where do Ebay tell you to read 4 million pages fo regs various ones for various catagories and Paypals regs and blah and etc.

I personally think Ebay and Paypal are terrible companys and need some serious investigating. I use them out of as there is no market worthy alternative if there were I would.

lovinituk

jimsmillions wrote: »

I personally think Ebay and Paypal are terrible companys and need some serious investigating. I use them out of as there is no market worthy alternative if there were I would.

Investigating over what exactly? If people can't be arsed to read up on everything then that's their fault however I suspect these are the same people who don't read the small print before signing contracts of any kind.

soolin

lovinituk wrote: »

Investigating over what exactly? If people can't be arsed to read up on everything then that's their fault however I suspect these are the same people who don't read the small print before signing contracts of any kind.

I do tend to agree with both posts above.

Firstly I think the eBay mantra that anyone can sell on eBay is wrong, I believe some people are inherently predisposed to taking risks and not bothering to work out how things work- and for them eBay can be a disaster. I am against any form of nanny state, but do wonder sometimes if we need an online tutorial for new users or sellers that they must do before making their first purchase or sale.

I really do believe that eBay is too complicated for some people and to keep,pushing it as suitable for everyone is wrong.

The problem is we can't protect people against themselves and I can't see any way round that.